Why I Don't Teach An "Organize Your Thoughts" Seminar

2003-11-07 - 7:54 a.m.

Two updates from splitsville:

First: could someone please tell pop musicians to stop writing songs about relationships that shouldn't have ended, but did? I'm not sure why I didn't notice this before, but 80% of the music I've been hearing lately involves some romance gone sour. I'm not bitter about this, I think, but the music I want to listen to these days is more on the "Everything is wonderful, so do something nice for someone" or "Everything sucks, so stay in bed" genres.

Second: I completely forgot how easy it is to become petty when you're living with your ex. (Pookie, if you're still reading this at all, I've been very, very good about not writing about you this last month and a half, but I need to write this, so there may be an unflattering sentence or two about you. This isn't an apology, just a warning that you may want to skip down a couple of paragraphs. If you aren't still reading these, then go about your business). I had completely forgotten how flaky Pookie can become when he isn't totally in love with me. He can handle a million and one responsibilities, but anytime he agrees (or even when he offers) to do me a favour, it seems that these days he forgets. They're just little things, and I'm pretty much okay to wait it out until I'm on my own and know for sure that if I don't do it, it won't get done, but boy howdy, this behaviour has led to me walking to work steaming a couple of nights in the last month.

Of course, it does swing both ways. I'm harbouring the growing suspicion that I've started to become more of a sloth and slob around the house. I think a part of me has taken up the hobby of "proactive inertia," which means making sure that I am doing nothing more strenuous than watching television whenever Pookie wants to clean the house. I know how frustrating it can be to want to clean or be productive and then see a lump of 250 pounds of deadweight watching the Ellen Degeneres talk show, but some days I think I get a sense of perverse pleasure from it.

In completely different other news, I've broken through 10,000 words on my novel, which means I'm 20% finished, and I'm not absolutely hating anything other than the third scene which is basically a really boring conversation that serves no other purpose other than to give me, the author, a chance to introduce characters that I haven't figured out what to do with yet. The fourth/fifth scene involves the protagonist's race to avoid vomiting in the lobby of his apartment building. He makes it to his floor before he trips and then spews. Writing about vomit is fun!

In even more completely different news, I bought my first pair of "lifting gloves" for the gym. Basically with some excercises I've been developing callouses on my hands, and I don't like 'em, so I get to try out these funky super-hero-esque gloves at the gym this morning. I feel so completely cool. I need a super power.

And finally, I'm toying with the idea of setting up some sort of website. I'll need one anyway when I become a freelance editor, so I'm wanting to create a space that showcases whatever professionalism I might have, but that also captures my sense of fun. Maybe a space that might have more polished The Magus Rants (like one every second week or something), reviews or something, and maybe stuff to do. Of course, I'd want something that shows my strengths as a writer and as a person.

Some of you people have been reading me for almost 2 years now, and a lot of you probably know more facts about me than people who've known me for years (and, seeing it typed out like that, is kind of a scary thought: I haven't even met most of you and you know my deepest, darkest secrets. Maybe I should have considered that before starting an online journal...). I'm completely open (and, kinda, soliciting, really) to any ideas you folks might have about how I could make a website that is a little different than any of the "vanity" sites out there. Let me know!

Oh, and finally (I know I just used up my "finally", but since it's Friday, I get two.), how might one go about selecting a favourite sports team? It has suddenly become cataclysmically important that I cultivate a little of my inner jock, but I kinda cringe at cheering on a team simply because of a geographical coincidence. I mean, the Toronto Maple Leafs are nice and everything, but don't they have enough fans in this city? Should I just choose a team that looks pretty, or am I better off doing some research and watching a few games to see if a team's playing style appeals to me? The sports I'm looking at are mainly hockey and CFL football, if anyone cares.

Okay, I suppose that's it. I'm planning on buying Michael Moore's "Dude, Where's My Country?" book as soon as I can scrape up the cash, so when I do I'll likely hop back onto the activist-y bandwagon again.

Cheers,

The Magus

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